Electric water-heater.



'UNTTED' STATES PATENT onirica.

.BAY COLE BOYER, F LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

ELECTRIC WATER-HEATER.

To aZZ whom it mag/concern.' s Be it known 'that I, RAY Com: Boren,

a citizen of the. United States, and a resident of Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State ofNebraska, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements in Electric Water-Heaters, of which the following is a full clear, and exact description.

'hiv invention has special reference to 4'novel and useful improvements in electrical heating appliances ,and more particularly to an improved electric water heater.

The essential fobject of the in vention is 'evolved in the provision "of a. simple' and' l-noveLheaterrof the above character which includes'in part a novelarrangement of circulatingcoils ofpipe'and a novel arrange- Y L nient of heating elements disposed .within a container, whereby ras the water circulates through the coils, it will be instantaneously- -heate Another essential object of the invention is to so mount the parts within the container above s ecitied, that a person may. freely `handle t e same 'without the liability of be- .ing burned and to connect the heat-ing elei ments to a multiple contact switch ,which v vertical' sectional view through the imdrawings and described in the specification;

In the drawings: Figui-e1 is a central proved,` heater, with the circulating coils, heating elements and interposed packings in etevation; Fig. 2 is a .horizontalsectional the device'taken'on the line 2 2 of Fig'. 1 to show the coil arrangement of the circulating pipe,'the parts being reduced in size; Fig; 3 is a similar.view taken on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1 and'particularly disclos- 1 ing the arrangement of the wiring or resistance wire constituting a heating element and. also showing the connection with thel switch, the latter of which is diagrammati4 .cally indicated/ii'phantoni; and Fig. 4 isa diagrammatic view showing the wiring of Specication' of Letters latent Application tiled February 15, 12513. Serial No. 748.569.

the heating elements with the tact switch.

In illustrating the preferred embodiment of .the invention, the improved instantane- -ous heater is shown as comprising a series or' plurality of superimposed coils 10 of- Patented Oct. 28,1913.

multiple conmetal pipe or tubing, the same being formed from a single section bent in the manner specified. The; inlet portion ofthe -coils' through which the water or Aother flu-id to be heated circulates, is indicatedb't-he numeral `11, vthe* same .beingjexten ed to' the center of the coils and dependingxcentrally `as shown at 12'to form the lowermost coil,l

the latter-beginningatthe inside and be` ing'wound continuously to the outside. l It willb'e observed from the' drawings and vmore particularly from Figs..1 and2, that the tube is arranged in'coils or layers located `in horizontalv alinementlwith' respect.

to the convolutions-thereof, thus forming'" relatively flat-surfaces of any desired size and number. L After the lower-coil isforined,4

the coil thereabove'is f ornied from aconnecting portion 13 beginningV at'the o uter convolutionffand the :remaining coils are formed alternately in this mamie-r, lso that the upper coil preferably terminates'at the innermost convolution, where the tube or pipe is. directed upwardly as shown at- 14.

and then extended radially to form an outlet l15. It is to be understood that the insource of water or fluid supply and a revlet and outlet may be connected to a suitable ceiving. member lrespectively, Within -t-he scope of the invention. A

With the circulating coils arranged in the manner above described, they are arranged within .a container 16, preferably of metal, and provided with a removable top or'cover 17, the inlet and outlet portions being eX- tended `through diametrically opposed ortions of the container and. a depen ing flange 18 of .the cover. The flange 18 is slotted as shown at 19 so that the cover may vbe removed, while the inlet vand outlet portions of the circulating pipe will prevent lateral movement or turning of the cover.

Arranged between thesets of coils aie heating elements for heating the water as it circulates through or is retained in the coils and each "eating element is arranged between spacedyers of mica 'or the like 20 to reventf the flow of current to the coilsA without materially effecting the heat-V ing thereof.v The heating elementsfare 1n-v dicated by the numeral 21, the same consisting each of a layer of mica interwoven with resistance wire 22, preferably arranged in zigzag form in plan and in opposed series, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.of the drawings. By this arrangement of the iviring of the resistance or heating elements, the

feed and return wires 23 and 24.thereof re.

spectively may be conveniently joined incircuit with a suitable or common source of electrical energy 25 by a common feed wire 26 to a multiple contactswitch, the latter of which is indicated by the numeral 27 and is shown .as consisting of an arcuate plate.

' The contacts are indicated by the numeral 28 and arershown as being arranged in an arc concentric to the pivot of the switch plate, whereby one or more of the heating elements -may be joined in circuit vby contacting the plate with one or lmore of the respective contacts, while the circuits are closedthrough return wires 29 connecting heat-retaining metal 33 is mounted on the bottom of` the container, Iwhile seated thereon isa layer 34 of asbestos, 'these parts being of a thickness found most desirable but the asbestos being considerably thicker Aas shown. These partssupport the coils and heating elements and a la er 35 of asbestes anda metal sheet 36, similar to the sheet 33, are arranged in superimposed relation on top of the coils, the sheets ofmica Vand the last-'named layer of asbestos and metal sheet being centrally apertured to receive the portions 12 and lfl of the pipe or -tubo forming the circulating coils. The space surrounding the coils and adjacent parts and within the container, as well as at the top thereof, is filled with an asbestos packing indicated by the numeral 37 and by this f means full benefit of the heat generated for 55 the heating of the water or fluid in the coils is derived, while at' the same time heating of the container is obviated whereby the latter may be handled without the liability of one being burned. 60 It will thus .be seen that a heater has been provided which will efficiently serve to heat water or other fiuid by electricity, it being apparentt-hat the compact arrangement of the parts provides a maximum heating qu ity with a minimum suppl;I of current` v ranged as described, a sheet o iron or other` is also apparent that the arrangement permits of the most economical roduction of a heater for the purpose speci ed. consistent with safet and decreased liability to get out of wor 'ng order.

' Having thus deseribed'my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. An electrical Water heaterrcomprisi'ng Y in part, a seriessof superposed coils arranged with their convolutions in horizontalalinement with respect` to each coil and having an inlet Aand -anfo'tlet disposed in horizontal alinement-,`a container for the'coils, said inlet and otlet extendin through diamcthrical'ly opposite sides .of t e container, electrical heatgenerating elementsJ and meansV4 for supplying'current to said elements. 'f1' r 2. An electrical water heater comin part, a series\ superposedy coils` avn'g a .common inletjarid-` a* coinr'norr f otlegf "a container vfor th 'coilsyhaving dia'xu posed ug and outlet extend,f d saidn cover bein'gff'lield aga ment by `the', inlet-ja '90 outlet, heat generating elements `:arranged',tnetween 'the innermost i col's, heat radiating e elel'nenta above! and below the coils: il.' sourcel lof electrical energy having connection vwith' the' he,a1tt3;gt1`iV erati'ng element'sffaid switc nun i `01,'1v the cover of the container fo ntrollig thesu'pply of c ""heatgenerat 3. Aii electrical wa las e inwiefern :rislifg a series of 1n close proximity tjeac Wother and havinganf inlet and ari"outlet'ciiiii1unicatin with the bot-` tom and top coils., respective y fand elrtend ing radially 'ltlerefrom,'fa contxii'ner {for} the 'coils a cover furthe container having a de-vr pending flange with Vf.o p`osed AAVrecesses through which the inlet an. outlet extend, electrical heat generating elements arranged between and: o erating to jinstantaneously heat a fluid bodly passed through the coils, a source of electrical energy,"and a 'multiple contact-switch connected in circuit with"said source and the heat generatin elements for throwing one or a, plurali "o 'said elements 115 into operation to vary the` ent generation.

4. In a water heater of the' class described, a container having a cover, a series of rela tively flat `Water circulating 'elements mountedin the container and having a com'- 120 mon inlet and a 'common outlet entering through, the container,`layers of metal and asbestos above4 and below the circulating elements, a. non-conducting and heat-retain-` ing packing surrounding said elements, and layers within the container, layers of mica. between each pair of elements, and heating lements A, l An 'the layers of mica.

` 5. In arf heater of tho class described,

g l?. eontainf ning a cover, a series of rein- 133 tively flat water circulating elements mica interwoven with current". resistance mounted in the container and having a coniwire and adapted for connection with a, mon inlet and. a commonoutlct enterin source of electrical'energy.

through the container, layers of metal. anl In testimony whereof I havesigned iny 15 asbestos above and below the circulating elel name t0 this specification in the presence of ments, :i non-conducting and heat-retaining i twoA subscribing Witnesses. packing surrounding said elements and lay- RAY COLE BGYEB .ers within the container', luyels of mica be tween each pair of e1ements and heating W'itnesses: elementsbetweeh the layers of4 mica, each CLIFFORD H. PARKE, heating element consisting of a layer of; C. M. PARKE. 

